


Shifty Business

by missingnolovefic



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Alternate Universe - Villains, M/M, Mad King!Ryan, Mr Shifty AU, Multi, shifter!Jeremy, thief!Trevor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 22:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10953675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingnolovefic/pseuds/missingnolovefic
Summary: Someone broke into Monarch Labs, and Jeremy is deadset on finding out who sent the thief after his boyfriend.What will it take for Trevor to start talking?





	Shifty Business

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kayssna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayssna/gifts).



> Surprise! Happy belated graduation gift, Kays <3
> 
> It's based on the recent Mr. Shifty Let's Watch series. Unbeta'd.

“Hey Ryan, can I ask you something?” Jeremy asked, sticking his head through the door.

“What,” Ryan said flatly, frowning down at several papers strewn across his desk. Jeremy’s eyebrows flew up and he _shifted_ , appearing across from Ryan. Smoke twirled around him in thin tendrils they both ignored. Peering down, Jeremy concentrated on reading the document upside down.

“...import lists from Pirates Corp?” Jeremy shot Ryan a weird look. “You need new hobbies. Maybe sun tanning, looking a little pale there.”

Ryan’s glare would have withered a lesser soul.

“What do you want, Dooley,” he snapped. Jeremy mimed getting shot in the heart.

“Oooh, last names! You must be in a really shitty mood.” Ryan tapped his finger impatiently, a spark jumping across his knuckles. Jeremy grinned. “I want a date, asshole, but I can see you’re busy.”

Ryan’s expression softened. He reached out, catching Jeremy’s hand in his own.

“I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean to neglect you.”

Jeremy shrugged, but he didn’t pull away.

“I get it. Work comes first.” He leaned over the desk, turning another paper so he could properly read it. “What did Pirates Corp do to you?”

“Stole from my company.” Ryan scowled, dropping his hand. He sorted through the pile of papers, pulling out three specific documents and turning them to face Jeremy. “No proof that would hold up in court, of course, and the police are happy because they think they got the thief. Either he was hired by the Corpirate or he’s just a convenient scapegoat, but I doubt he was working alone.”

Ryan tapped one of the files. A dark-haired man stared back at Jeremy, slim face and sharp chin. He was baring his teeth in something resembling a smile, dark eyes sharp even in print. His name was given as Trevor Collins AKA Treyco-

Jeremy snorted.

“That’s got to be a fake name,” he said derisively. “No one uses their real name in this business.”

“The police seems to agree, but they’re not getting a ping on his prints,” Ryan replied absently, shuffling through another file. “Facial recognition is still running. I send it through our software, too.”

“So Collins broke into your facilities?” Jeremy inquired, skimming through the spare incident report.

“Monarch Labs, the ChemiKal outpost. Collins uploaded a virus on the system but I’m certain that was a distraction for the real target.” He pointed at the second and third documents. “Shipping manifests for Coal Industries and Sloth Enterprises. Both are shell companies for the Corpiration.”

“What exactly am I looking for?” Jeremy asked, brows furrowing as he went down the list of seemingly harmless, boring materials.

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” Ryan shook his head. “I’ve gone over these multiple times, and the numbers don’t add up. But in weird ways.” His finger slid down the list. “Sodium permanganate, mostly used in printed circuitry. According to the harbour master they loaded about two thousand pounds, but here-” Ryan dragged the other sheet over. “-it arrived at two point three thousand pounds. Now, I’d be willing to dismiss this as clerical error or inaccuracy, but here: Pseudoephedrine a sinus decongestant, missing 150 ounces. Nitroethane with too many possible uses, including nail polish remover and explosives, an additional 800 ounces. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Jeremy skimmed over the information, noting the pieces Ryan had pointed out to him.

“They could be used in different procedures. I doubt you only have one ongoing project at any lab,” he suggested, and Ryan grumbled his agreement. Jeremy cut him a sharp look. “What’s missing from your lab, then? Or did they plant something?”

Ryan’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “I hadn’t thought of the latter, I’ll have security sweep the place again. Some chemical components got destroyed in the altercation that led to the thief’s escape and subsequent arrest, but something could have easily been swiped from the mess. Here’s a list of what’s missing, presumably destroyed.”

He handed Jeremy the list distractedly, eyes scanning over the documents again, looking for a new pattern. Jeremy took his time to memorize the components before returning the list.

“Want me to bail our darling thief out for questioning?” he offered, grinning crookedly at Ryan’s startled glance. “After all, why should we start playing by the rules now?”

“Why indeed.” Ryan looked down, thinking hard. Jeremy waited patiently for him to come to the same conclusion. “He’s our strongest lead. But there’s no guarantee he’ll cooperate.”

“No, there’s not.” Jeremy smiled nastily. “However, I’m sure I can find a way to… motivate him.”

“Try a bribe first,” Ryan rebuked him sharply. “Thieves tend to be in it for the profit.”

“Spoilsport,” Jeremy sighed dramatically, then bamfed across the desk to press a kiss to Ryan’s cheek and then back before he could react. “I’ll play nice, don’t worry. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Don’t get caught,” Ryan cautioned, but Jeremy just waved him off.

“I’ll bribe Axial with burgers, he’ll loop the feed for me.”

“Still.”

Jeremy shook his head and shifted out with a grin.

 

* * *

 

Trevor, or whatever his real name was, didn’t look too terrible in orange, which was always a plus for Jeremy. Purple would probably look even better on him, he mused. The thief was objectively pretty, and Jeremy was definitely attracted to him.

Work first, he reminded himself. Then he could check in with Ryan about inviting thief boy into their bed for a night or two. Or three. Four would be ideal, really. Gave Jeremy enough time to utterly ruin him.

“Camera feed is on a loop starting… Now. Head on in, Rimmy Tim,” Matt said drolly over the comm, and Jeremy chuckled.

“Thanks, buddy. If only the others would use my chosen codename.”

“What, not happy with what the media stuck you with, Mr. Shifty?” Matt teased him. Jeremy grimaced.

“Hell no. It’s so… _lame_ , and besides, Larry is already Shifty,” he complained as he bamfed across the wall and slipped down the corridor to the high profile prisoners. He’d gotten himself and his friends out often enough to know the way. “And you know I was speaking of our, uh, _allies_.”

“You shouldn’t have waited so long before deciding on an alias, Monster Truck.” Matt chuckled as Jeremy peered around the corner. “All clear except for the patrol of two in front of Treyco’s cell, one paces the hall, one stationary.”

“Great, gotcha,” Jeremy murmured, then shifted three times in a row. “Going radio silent now.”

“I got your back, Tim Tam,” Matt promised before quieting down. Jeremy huffed but didn’t object to the nickname.

The hallways were empty, like Matt had promised. It was remarkably easy to bamf in behind the guards and knock them out. Letting the second one slide to the floor noiselessly, Jeremy looked around to take the cell block in. Nothing much had changed since he last broke in - they’d gotten Geoff on a drunk and disorderly which was never not funny. Two big blokes slept in the leftmost cells, leaving the middle-right the only other occupied one.

Trevor was watching him with a raised brow.

Jeremy rose slowly, staring back.

“Well, then,” Trevor said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. “Mr. Shifty. What do I owe the pleasure of your company to?”

“Trevor Collins. I hear you’re a pretty decent thief,” Jeremy rumbled. Taking a step forward, he cocked his head. Trevor mirrored him.

“I’m pretty, sure, but for decent…” He trailed off, grinning winningly. “Well, that depends, doesn’t it?”

Jeremy hummed. “I hear you managed to break into Monarch Labs. That’s impressive.” The corner of his mouth ticked upwards. “Unless you’re hiding teleporting powers under that pretty face?”

“I’d be out of here by now, if that was the case.” Trevor snorted. “No, just good at what I do, I’m afraid.”

“Is that so?” Jeremy let his eyes linger as he looked him up and down. “And what services might that be?”

“Who’s asking?” Trevor’s eyes narrowed, but his smile stayed sharp. Jeremy pressed his palm against his chest, rearing back.

“I’m hurt, Treyco!” Jeremy grinned, dropping his hand and leaning closer. “And here I thought you’d heard of me.”

“I’ve heard of _Mr. Shifty_ ,” Trevor shot back, waving one hand through the air. “Can’t believe everything you hear in the news, if you get my drift.”

“No, I suppose not.” Jeremy grabbed one of the bars and leaned in. “I do have an offer for you, however. If you indeed happen to be the type of thief who’d manage to break into Monarch Labs, Mr. Collins.”

“Oh? What kind of offer?”

Jeremy shifted forward, appearing next to Trevor. The man flinched, but didn’t back up. Instead he eyed the tendrils of smoke.

“You might not be able to teleport,” Jeremy pointed out smugly. “But _I_ sure can.”

Trevor stared at him blankly. “What _type_ of thief would you be looking for?”

Jeremy’s grin sharpened. “One for hire.”

“Say you get me out of here. What can a thief do what a teleporter can’t?” Trevor queried lightly, expression politely disbelieving. Jeremy shrugged.

“I can go wherever I want, as long as it's big enough to fit me.” He gave Trevor a speaking look. “I ain’t no lockpick, buddy.”

Trevor’s expression turned calculating. “And you can carry a person with you? How many items can you take? Especially with another person there.”

“As much as I can carry. And there needs to be reasonable space to land.”

Trevor shoved off the wall, swaggering over to him.

“You ever thought about teaming up, Shifty?”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Between the two of us, you’re the notorious lone wolf, Collins.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Look around, buddy. No partners or friends to break you out. Your employer dropped you like a hot potato the second you got got.” Jeremy spread out his arms theatrically. “Only little, old me here to offer you a way out. So what do you say?”

“When you put it like that,” Trevor replied dryly, holding out his hand. “Call me Trevor. Nice to meet you.”

“Tim.” Jeremy took his hand and shook. “Let’s get you out of here. I got a hideout not too far away where you can stay until this blows over.”

 

* * *

 

The good thing about being a teleporter is not needing doors. A room with no windows or doors to escape from was every villain's dream, if expensive. Luckily, Jeremy got a rich boyfriend.

The room had walls of concrete reinforced with steel, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at them.

Jeremy had several such hidey-holes, some better furnished than others depending on who he intended to drop there. Trevor fell short of Associate but wasn’t quite an enemy either. More importantly, he didn’t want Trevor to realize his intentions too soon.

So the room with comfy couch and TV setup it was.

After making sure Trevor was settled in and knew where the bathroom was, Jeremy bamfed out to get takeout. By which he meant Ryan, but he _did_ stop by the Chinese restaurant around the corner so he hadn’t lied, per se.

Trevor was checking over the walls when Jeremy returned. His eyes flickered to Ryan by his side, his face not betraying any surprise.

“There’s no way out of this room is there?” Trevor inquired casually, stepping away from the wall. His expression turned shrewd. “Aside from teleporting, that is.”

“There are no doors, yeah,” Jeremy agreed evasively. He knew all too well that there was no such thing as an escape-proof room, just unexpected difficulties. Trevor’s eyes narrowed, before flicking to Ryan.

“The Mad King. I don’t believe I’ve had the honour yet.”

“Ah, but _I_ have been watching _you_ ,” Ryan drawled, hands clasped behind his back. “Multiple times, in fact. You did great work on the security of the facility, but not on the backup feed.”

Trevor shrugged languidly. “I only needed the guards unaware.”

“Is that so.” Ryan cocked his head, chipped crown sliding a little. “That’s a lot of risk for an employer who doesn’t even bother to get you out.”

“What makes you think that?” Trevor inquired mildly. “My case hasn’t even gone to trial yet.”

“Maybe so,” Ryan agreed, before nodding towards the TV. The screen lit up with perfect timing. “I suppose sending an assassin after you counts as, ah, _taking care_ of your employees.”

The TV switched through the various feeds of the cell block before settling on the one Trevor had resided in an hour prior. A doppelganger sat in his place, staring boredly at the ceiling.

“An illusion,” Ryan explained grandly. “Courtesy of an associate of mine.”

The feed slipped to the hallway, a police officer walking down the hall. He ignored the other prisoners and lack of guard, heading straight towards Trevor’s cell. The illusory Trevor stood up as the door unlocked, face blank. The guard didn’t say anything, just lifted his gun and shot straight through not-Trevor’s chest. The illusion smirked and flickered out of existence.

Jeremy turned the screen off.

“How do I know any of that was real?” Trevor pointed out quickly. He clasped his hands in front of him, as if to hide them shaking. “You just admitted one of your contacts works illusions. And even so, what is to convince me you didn’t stage this, bribed the guard yourself?”

“Fair point.” Ryan inclined his head. Jeremy stepped up next to him, arms crossed.

“The way I see it, you have two options,” he chimed in, and Trevor turned to him curiously. “One, risk running back to your employer. Or run away, and the method of your disappearance will tell us who hired you. Either way we get the info we’re after, so we couldn’t care less what you choose.”

“...you would just let me go. Right,” Trevor stated warily. Jeremy shrugged.

“You’re not of any use to us stuck in here. You’re welcome to stay the night, if you want.”

“And what if I go with option number three?” Trevor caught Ryan’s eyes. “What are you offering in return for the information I have?”

Ryan raised a pointed eyebrow. “We broke you out.”

“According to him-” Trevor jutted his chin in Jeremy’s direction. “-I’m free to go whenever. Unless that was a lie?”

“No.” Ryan’s eyes narrowed and he stared at the thief thoughtfully. “Safety until this blows over. These little safehouses are only accessible by teleporters, and Rimmy Tim is the only one who knows their locations.”

“That’d sound good, but I want more.” Trevor leaned forward, bracing his hands on the back of an armchair. “I want _revenge_.”

“Revenge?” Ryan queried mildly, watching him with sharp eyes.

“If what you say, what you’ve shown me is true-” Trevor nodded to the TV. “Then I just got double crossed. And who could let that stand, really?”

Jeremy circled around him, and Trevor’s eyes flickered to him before returning to Ryan.

“You want in,” Ryan concluded dubiously.

“I want in,” Trevor agreed. He smiled sharply, gesturing towards Jeremy. “I’ve been promised a Team Up, I believe.”

Ryan glanced at Jeremy.

“Sure,” he agreed, stepping closer. Trevor turned his head to watch him. Jeremy smirked. “Let’s call it that.”

Jeremy took another step, and Trevor half-turned to face him. Ryan chuckled, dark and low.

“You have a type, my dear.”

“Oh? Is that what’s happening?” Trevor asked, his shoulders losing some tension. Ryan hummed.

“Indeed. Tall, dark and handsome.”

“You forgot dangerous,” Jeremy added flippantly, lifting a hand and pressing his palm flat against Trevor’s chest. “What say you, Mr. Collins?”

“I suppose you have time to convince me while we plan our next move,” Trevor side-stepped smoothly, glancing back at Ryan. “If you’ll have me?”

“Oh, we will,” Ryan drawled, voice full of dark promise. “Welcome aboard, Treyco.”

 

* * *

 

“Gentlemen,” Jeremy greeted their associates grandly, “we have gathered here today to take down the Corpiration once and for all.”

“What’s in it for me?” Geoff piped up immediately.

“You’re a petty motherfucker,” Jack chimed in. “Don’t tell me you’re not still holding a grudge for what happened last year.”

Geoff’s growl was answer enough. Trevor gave the others a questioning look.

“The asshole kidnapped my mother,” Michael snarled. “No one kidnaps my mother.”

Gavin was inspecting his nails. “He’s paying me,” he said offhandedly, tilting his head in Ryan’s direction. Mica elbowed him in the side.

“What he said.” She paused, affecting an innocent look. “‘Sides, I was bored.”

Trevor turned a skeptical look towards Jeremy.

“This is your team? The Lazer, Beardo the Weirdo, Mogar, Mistress Distress and whoever that joker is supposed to be?”

“Oy!” Gavin objected, glowering at Trevor. “Who the fuck are you anyway?”

“That’s the thief who broke into Monarch Labs the other day,” Ryan interjected smoothly, regaining control of the room. “He was hired by the Corpirate himself.”

“What’s he doing here, then?” Michael growled, glaring at Trevor.

“I don’t appreciate being paid for my services with death,” he replied glibly. He waved the doubts off. “I agreed to a trade in services, considering the circumstances.”

Gavin gave him a haughty look. “I doubt you have much to offer.”

“Yes, Mr. Thief,” Jack murmured. “What is your skillset, exactly?”

“Well, I did manage to bypass King Sec’s security long enough to achieve my objective,” Trevor replied modestly, spreading his hands like he was surrendering. “Outside of burglary I’m particularly _gifted_ in diversions and distraction.”

Trevor twisted his left hand and splayed out his fingers. A fountain of glitter shot forth. Everyone stared at him in silence, before Geoff broke down laughing.

“The Glitter Bomber,” he gasped between high-pitched peals of laughter. “You got robbed by the freakin’ _Glitter Bomber_.”

Ryan scowled. “Well, he wasn’t leaving a _trail of glitter_ when he broke in.”

“Aren’t you one of those hero types?” Gavin asked derisively. Behind Jeremy the screen lit up with a familiar symbol.

“Anti-hero until he vanished three years ago,” a computer-modulated voice said. “If you’re done chit-chatting, ladies?”

“Axial will bring everyone up to speed on what we’ve found out so far,” Jeremy continued, seeming unruffled by the byplay. He laid a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “Treyco’s intel helped us figure out what the Corpiration is after.”

“They’ve hidden it very well between various shell companies and missing and additional materials shipped.” A list scrolled across the screen, Axial’s icon minimizing in the top right corner. “What it boils down to are the components of an Unpowrium generator.”

Schematics for a machine appeared on the screen, next to a chemical formula. The room turned as one to Ryan with a questioning look.

“He’s building power blockers, of a scale and estimated effectiveness we’ve never seen before.”

“Indeed. From the files I managed to copy from their servers before they shut me out, it’s paired with some circular tech.” Axial paused, and the schematics vanished as his icon stretched across the screen. “The big one is a power block signal tower. The collar is an amplifier.”

“Power block collars,” Jack said with a frown. “That’s- that sounds bad.”

“The Corpiration is a bunch of C-Class villains,” Geoff sneered. “None of them have powers if I recall.”

“Sloth does,” Gavin disagreed, sitting up straighter. “He’s part of the _Seven Sins_ , but he’s also the Corpirate’s cousin.”

Mica turned to look at him. “Didn’t the Seven Sins try to recruit you?”

Gavin shrugged casually. “Apparently, you only get to represent _one_ deadly sin if you join. There was some disagreement where I’d fit so I left.”

“Who else is a confirmed member of the Corpiration, do we know?” Geoff interrupted them. Axial took over, projecting four pictures, a sketch and a dark icon with a question mark.

“The Corpirate and his cousin, Sloth, as well as Flynt Coal and Mark Nutt. There’s one more person we’re sure of, but aside from grainy camera footage we only have this police sketch to identify them.” Axial paused, maximizing the sketch, before moving on. “They might have a sixth member, it’s not quite clear. They keep offering the seat to various villains, but nothing seems to stick.”

“Last one they tried for was me,” Ryan offered, snorting. “I refused, of course. A week later, my lab gets broken into.”

“I can definitely offer you some insight into Flynt,” Mica piped up, frowning. “Perv was trying to woo me a while back.”

“And I got a bead on his business operations,” Jack added calmly. “Coal Mines Industries has been a thorn in my side.”

“That leaves Nutt and Sloth for you, Gavvers,” Geoff said, brows furrowed.

“That’s right! You used to run around with Nutt, didn’t you?” Michael asked. Gavin shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“Mark’s a coward, we don’t really need to worry about him,” Gavin replied evasively. “And I don’t really know much more about Sloth than you guys.”

“Regardless,” Ryan said, standing up from his chair. “Will you help us tumble the Corpiration, gentlemen and gentlelady?”

There was a murmur of agreement around the room. Jeremy slid his arms over Trevor’s shoulders from behind, humming contently.

“Then let’s get to planning.” His smile was sharp and full of promise. “They won’t know what hit them.”

 

* * *

 

“You good to go?” Jeremy called out, and Trevor looked up from the brightly lit screen.

“Uh.” He paused, eyes narrowing at the screen. “Fudge biscuits, it’s already that late?!”

Ryan, standing next to Jeremy in the doorway, chuckled. “Yeah. We were wondering if you wanted to join us?”

“Yeah, of course, give me just a second,” Trevor muttered all distractedly. The computer turned off, shrouding the room in darkness. “There, all done! I’m ready to go.”

“You sure?” Jeremy asked lightly. The hopeful note made Trevor pause, going back through what he said.

“...yes? I live with you guys for now, the easiest way home is hitching a ride with you two, what…”

He trailed off as Jeremy facepalmed. Ryan laughed, a low and rumbly sound.

“We’re asking if you want to _join us_. For dinner. Maybe more if you’re up to it,” he explained. Trevor blinked, before the realization sunk in.

“Oh. Oh!” He looked from one to the other. “As in, a date? I thought you two were…”

“Very happy and definitely not monogamous, yes, thank you,” Jeremy interrupted loudly. Trevor squinted at him. Was he… blushing?

“What, his excessive flirting didn’t clue you in?” Ryan teased, wrapping an arm around Jeremy’s waist. That gave Trevor pause.

“I thought he was just being friendly,” Trevor protested. But when he thought back…

Jeremy and Ryan had told him their first names shortly after that first group meeting. A show of good faith, certainly, and trust that, while not entirely misplaced, had Trevor wondering as to their true motives. Getting into his pants hadn’t even registered on his radar - some villains just had an overtly flirtatious shtick, it wasn’t exactly uncommon - but when he put it in that perspective…

“Well? What do you say?” Ryan inquired impatiently, and there was some of that hopeful expectation in his face, too. Better hidden than Jeremy’s easy-to-read expressions, certainly, but Trevor had gotten to know him well enough- hm. Both of them, actually.

“Sure, why not,” he agreed lightly, sauntering towards the door. “Sounds fun.”

“You won’t regret it,” Jeremy promised fervently, a wide grin spreading across his face. Trevor hummed.

“We’ll see.” He turned to Ryan with a mischievous grin. “Say, how proportionate _is_ Little Shifty, exactly?”

As Jeremy sputtered and Ryan laughed loudly, Trevor thought to himself that he got very lucky when he met this two. Very lucky indeed.

 

* * *

 

Not quite a month later, the Corpiration dissolved. Between a media shitstorm pinning Coal Mines Industries’ CEO Flynt Coal with a bunch of unsolved crimes, a scandal forcing Mark Nutt to step back from his company until the FBI investigation concluded and infighting among the villains, the Corpirate forced a confrontation with Mr. Shifty, during which the tech and schematics for the power blocks mysteriously vanished. The _Seven Sins_ recalled Sloth long enough for him to be out of the picture during all this, before booting him from their organization. Gavin seemed very smug about that.

Trevor stayed at Ryan’s mansion. Aside from some friendly teasing, no one mentioned it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope the ending is satisfactory, I kinda ran out of ideas xD I might come back to this AU later, maybe for Trevor's origin story or how Gavin met the Seven Sins.
> 
> In the meantime, please let me know what you think? :D


End file.
